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→Modern history: sp
When Bp. [[Gorazd (Pavlik) of Prague|Gorazd]] revived the [[Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia|Czech Orthodox Church]] in 1921 he and the church officials began looking for an existing, unused church building for their cathedral. On [[July 29]], 1933, the council of ministers, in response to a request by the Czech Orthodox [[Eparchy]] ([[diocese]]) granted use of the former St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church on the corner of Resslova and Na Zderaze streets to the Czech church under a long term lease. The lease stipulated a number of improvements that the Czech Eparchy would have to make to the church, including a new entrance and renovations of the interior.
Consecration of the first Orthodox Church in Prague was held on [[September 28]], 1935, on the feast of St. Wenceslas. The original date of [[October 14]], 1934 was postponed due to the death of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia. The consecration service was led by Bp. Gorazd, assisted by the Serbian Metropolitan Dositej, Sub-Carpathian Bp. Damaskin, and the Russian Bp. Sergiy. The cathedral was dedicated to Ss. Cyril and Methodius, who had originally brought Orthodox Christianity to Moravia and from whom the church in the Czech Lands is descended. Relics of two saints, the martyred St. Aversky Averky and the Serbian archbishop, St. Arseny were interred beneath the altar.
From its consecration, the cathedral of Ss. Cyril and Methodius has been linked by the Prague press to its Byzantine missionary past and to Ss. Cyril and Methodius, noting that Methodius had been there, presiding over worship, and had baptized the first Czech Duke Borivoj and his wife, Ludmila, according to the Eastern Church rite. The press further noted that the Czech Orthodox Church considered the Duke and his wife to be members of their church just as the church does with Ss. Cyril and Methodius. The first priest assigned to the [[parish]] was Fr. Petr Kauer, with Fr. Vladimir Petrek as his assistant. On [[August 11]], 1937, Fr. Petr died and was succeeded by Fr. Vaclav Cikl on [[January 31]], 1938.
